Today, I made up my mind. I was going to call him but wait o, that would make me seem desperate. I am just going to forget about him and probably throw the business card he gave me.

Ode, why do you want to call him with a business line? No personah number?

Okay, but I could try too... abi? It would be unfair I left him hanging. I dialed the number inscribed at the back of the card and clicked on the call icon which appeared on my phone screen. 

Okay... calm down.

"Kamal Madaki, who am I speaking with?" There, his deep voice sprang out immediately and I couldn't help but panic. I shut my eyes tightly and quickly, cussing myself from a making a decision to call him. "Hello?"

His voice brought me back, I cleared my throat nervously before speaking. "Hi, it's uhm... Yeside..."

He stayed silent for a while and I did too, this was clearly a stupid decision. Why did I even bother to call him sef? What was I thinking ehn?

"Wait, it's you. Wow... I didn't think you would call, I thought you forgot me," he said with excitement laced in his voice.

"I didn't think I would call you too," a slow smile appeared on my lips.

He chuckled lowly. "Don't let shakara ruin this thing for us."

Ah! Okunrin!

"Wait... are you flirting with me?"

"Depends on how you see it on your side."

I grinned and nodded my head, this man was silly. I remembered Mariya once told me rich men had a total different sense of humor compared to the quote on quote- random men. Mariya was wrong, rich men were no different.

"I have a boyfriend, Mr. Madaki," I replied whilst fiddling with my fingers.

The thought of Tunde suddenly felt like I was jabbed by a knife for a moment, memories with him turned sour and there I was feeling downhearted. I didn't know what to do with Tunde, I wasn't sure if I could leave.

Is it Tunde we are talking about now?

"I never mentioned anything," he burst out in a fist of laughter.

"Right!" I grinned whilst biting on my lower lips to prevent myself from being a blushing wreck.

"Should I be scared?"

"This isn't going to take you anywhere, Mr. Madaki."

"Listen, how about we talk somewhere more convenient?" he suggested.

"Somewhere?"

"Yes."

"What if you kidnap me?"

"Oh, trust me if I were, we won't be talking."

"Dem no dey write kidnapper for forehead o." I switched to Pidgin language.

"I promise, there's no criminal record of me."

See gobe!

"Only on one condition, I will be the one to choose where we meet."

"As long as that proves I am not a kidnapper, that's fine by me," he let out a chuckle.

"Cool, I will let you know when." I replied him with a little smile curved on my face.

And there, I tapped on the disconnect button. For some reason, I felt guilty for agreeing to meet him. What was Tunde going to think of me? I mean... I really wanted to fix things between me and Tunde.

______

"Hello ladies!" Amina beamed happily whilst walking in with shopping bags in two of her hands. Typical Amina, let's just say she's shopping-crazed. Amina was the most sophisticated among us, she loved spending money on expensive things afterall she was a soft-life kind of babe.

"Hey, you!" Emem voiced excitedly, stretching her hands to give Amina a warm embrace.

We all planned on meeting at Siju's house, in Siju's word she called it her—self care spa treat— according to her, she wanted to make it a Friday night ritual since Nigeria's hot sun and stress is about to finish us. Emem, Amina, Siju and I had everything ready but only Mariya was yet to arrive. This was very unlikely of her, usually she is the most punctual among us but tonight felt off. I was probably the one overthinking, Mariya has been stressing lately about  her wedding plans, it was just two weeks away so I'm guessing that must be why she seemed absurd.

"Hello ladies..." there I saw our Madam Mariya rushed in quickly but why is she wearing a blue shade at night? Nawa o.

"You are a late comer," I uttered to her jokingly rolling my eyes at her.

"Sorry, I got caught up in alot of things."  Mariya said in an unusual low voice. This was weird. Very weird.

"Are you doing fine, Mariya?" Siju furrowed her eyebrows with worry plastered all over her face.

"I am, I promise," Mariya reassured with a little smile but that didn't sound convincing, atleast to me. I did not know for the rest.

"Take your shades off, you know we are starting off with spa?" I touched her shoulder softly as to pat her, surprisingly she flinched. This was strange. I have never seen Mariya this way.

"Uhm..." Mariya began as she cleared her throat, I could tell she knew I noticed. Not that I knew whatever was wrong with her but she knew I wasn't convinced. "The eye doctor..."

"Mariya, your lying is about to make my ears bleed." Amina interjected.

"Abegi take this thing off!" Emem said in annoyance whilst she snatched the shades from Maria's face which caused her to flinch in pain.

"The hell?" Siju and I exclaimed in shock.

I couldn't believe my eyes, my eyes were probably playing tricks with me. Mariya with a black eye? She was badly bruised under her eyes. Without her even explaining, I knew it was her supposed fiancé who did this. It was definitely him! That bastard!

"He did this to you," what came out from me wasn't a question, it was more of a statement.

"No... he didn't, Yeside. He didn't mean it... I mean... it wasn't him," Mariya denied through her stuttering.

Anger, more anger and more enormous anger grew inside of me as she told me that. I couldn't understand why she kept defending that monster when it was obvious.

"Of course, Yusef did this! How can you lie to us when it's clearly obvious? Haba!" Amina shouted in her high pitched voice.

"Keep your voice down abeg." I uttered to Amiba still looking at Mariya perplexed. I didn't know what to say to her.

"Really, I'm fine... I..." Mariya tried to assure us. I knew her damn well, whenever she stuttered that meant she was lying. Mariya was a terrible liar, not the type of liar who'd look you straight in the eyes and then lie.

"Guys, I think we should stop hounding her. She needs our help now, she is in denial," Emem voiced out with a sigh making us all sit in silence for a while. It felt like that monster sucked the joyous energy out of us in the room, all thanks to

"We are going to be fine, it's just a phase I'm sure is going to pass," Mariya uttered, looking at me as I could see through the fake smile.

"I know you are being abused." Siju took Mariya's hands in hers.

I watched as Mariya shook her head vehemently in disagreement with tears slipping her cheeks. "No, we are fine."

"Since when did this begin?" I inquired, looking into her sorrowful empty eyes hoping there was that Mariya I knew who would listen.

Mariya tried to speak but I saw no words coming from her and there, tears gushed down her cheeks. "I did something to him, he got angry."

I didn't know what to do, I was helpless. This was a helpless situation that took us all by shock, I stared into Mariya's bruised eyes again and I couldn't help but burst into tears too and embrace her into a gentle hug. I had seen my mother all in her too, more tears came pouring out of my eyes as I consoled a sobbing Mariya.

Surely, there was someone to be dealt with but for now, I needed to there for Mariya.